Annie Besant founded the All India Home Rule League in September 1916, with its headquarters at:

Annie Besant founded the All India Home Rule League in September 1916, with its headquarters at Madras (Chennai).

Background:

During the First World War, Indian leaders felt that it was the right time to demand self-government (Home Rule) for India, within the British Empire.

The two Home Rule Leagues:

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded the Indian Home Rule League in April 1916, at the Bombay Provincial Conference held at Belgaum; it worked in Maharashtra (except Bombay city), Karnataka, the Central Provinces and Berar.
• Annie Besant founded the All India Home Rule League in September 1916 at Madras; it worked in the rest of India.
• George Arundale was its organising secretary.
• The two leagues cooperated with each other, and divided the areas of work to avoid friction.

Their aims:

• To achieve self-government (Home Rule) for India within the British Empire.
• To promote political education and discussion, and to build public opinion in favour of self-government.

Their activities:

• They set up branches in many towns, held meetings, published pamphlets and newspapers, and organised reading rooms.
• They attracted many young people and new groups, such as students, teachers and professionals, to politics.
• Leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Shankarlal Banker and Jamnadas Dwarkadas joined the movement.

Government response:

• In June 1917, Annie Besant and her associates were interned at Ootacamund (Ooty); this led to widespread protests.
• They were released in September 1917.

Results:

• The Home Rule movement prepared the ground for the mass movements led by Gandhi.
• The Montagu Declaration of August 1917, promising responsible government, was partly a response to the Home Rule agitation.
• The movement declined by 1918-1919.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Poona, Bombay and Calcutta were not the headquarters of Besant's league.